Are you notorious for breaking your annual New Year’s resolution to lose weight? You may find inspiration in 2006 from Jared Fogle–a.k.a. the Subway guy.
The sandwich chain offers a program in which dieters can receive recorded daily motivational phone calls from Fogle, who famously lost hundreds of pounds by eating only Subway’s low-fat sandwiches for a year. The company launched the initiative–called Fresh Resolutions–after finding that 65 percent of people break their New Year’s resolutions by Valentine’s Day.
“Obviously this is the time of year when everyone starts thinking about wanting to shed pounds,” Fogle told RedEye. “With my own personal weight loss, the first few weeks are the hardest to get through. You’re not seeing results overnight. I’ll be trying to get people through their first month and get them on their way.”
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The messages will sometimes feature general encouragement, and other times will be specific to the day of the week, Fogle said. On a Wednesday, for example, he might say, “The weekend’s almost here. Hang in there.” Or on a Saturday he would say, “I know it’s the weekend, but maintain your resolve. You did great Monday through Friday, so let’s keep this going.”
“Hopefully it will keep reassuring you and give you that little push,” Fogle said.
Dieters can receive the messages in the morning, afternoon or both. Subway will randomly select a few individuals each week to get a personal call from Fogle.
“I’m excited to find out how they’re doing and if they have any questions for me,” Fogle said.
He said he will advise people to consult dieting professionals and their physicians as they begin their weight-loss efforts, and to set reasonable goals.
“You didn’t put this weight on overnight,” he said. “You can’t take it off overnight.”
Dieting only works when you really want it to, Fogle said.
“It doesn’t matter if you have 15 pounds or 150 pounds to lose,” he said. “The only way to overcome it is to put a 100 percent effort into it.”
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SURVEY SAYS
Fitness resolutions easy to make, hard to keep
According to a survey sponsored by Subway restaurants, more than 60 percent of Americans find that resolutions to exercise and eat healthy are the hardest to keep. Some other findings from the survey:
– Equal proportions of men and women say food-related resolutions are the hardest to keep.
– New Year’s resolutions about exercising are considered to be more of a problem by women (41 percent) than by men (33 percent).
– Americans age 18 to 34 are the most likely to have broken their resolutions by Valentine’s Day (74 percent)
– Women and people living in metro areas are particularly receptive to getting expert help.
– Resolutions are hardest to keep in the South and Northeast. [RedEye]
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DIAL 9 FOR JARED
To receive daily messages from Jared the Subway guy, sign up at subwayfresh resolutions.com on Monday. Subway will make dietitians available by phone from Monday to Jan. 8 to answer your weight loss questions. To speak to a dietitian on those dates, call 1-877-NOW-FRESH.
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